With Part 2 of Bill C-46 coming into effect December 18, the Ontario Provincial Police will begin to exercise new authority for investigating impaired drivers on Ontario roads.

Police officers will now be able to demand a roadside breath sample from any lawfully stopped driver to determine whether a person has alcohol in his or her body without first having to suspect the motorist has been drinking. Until now, officers had to have a reasonable suspicion that a driver had alcohol in their body before demanding a sample. Drivers need to be aware that it is mandatory for them to comply with this demand and that those who do not can be charged with failing or refusing to provide a breath sample. Under the new legislation, drivers impaired by alcohol will also face higher mandatory minimum fines and some higher maximum penalties.

"The new mandatory alcohol screening serves as an important deterrent to drivers who are impaired by alcohol, including those who believe they can avoid detection by police. So far this year, alcohol and/or drugs have been a factor in the deaths of 41 people on OPP-patrolled roads. Every person who uses our roads has the right to be safe. The OPP fully supports this and any other legislation that enhances our ability to reduce the number of preventable deaths attributed to this deadly driving behaviour."

The OPP has laid more than 7,300 impaired driving charges across the province between January 1 and mid-November.

The weather was warm but the response was chilly when Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell addressed a rally held Saturday at his Cornwall office to protest cuts to French-language services.

He was at one time booed when he attempted to explain the rationale behind the measures which led to Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard to leave the Tory caucus and sit as an independent.

Voters are understandably divided over Amanda Simard's decision to leave the ruling Conservative government to sit as an independent.

While many are hailing the Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP for her courage and conviction to her principles, others believe she has turned her backs on voters who supported the Conservatives in the last election, and has just blown any chance of reversing cuts to French-language services.

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard has quit the Tory caucus to sit as an independent.

The move comes the day after she continued to defy the Conservative government and voted in favour of a motion by the New Democrats asking Premier Doug Ford to reverse cutbacks to French-language services.

Speculation about her future within the majority government has been growing since last week when she criticized the cancellation of a proposed French-language university and the elimination of the independent French-language services commissioner.

“Definitely upset,” Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Amanda Simard is urging the Ontario government to reverse its decisions to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner’s post and to cancel a proposed French-language university.

Responding to criticism on Facebook last night, the rookie MPP said, “You have an ally in me, and I'm never going to let you down.”

She said the decisions “disappoint me immensely, and I share this disappointment and frustration today, having at first worked internally as much as possible to have these decisions overturned. I have asked the Premier to reconsider these measures.”

Her initial reaction to the moves was to use “diplomatic channels.” She said she “became aware of these decisions just a few minutes before the official announcements.” She observed that she had read that she “might be upset.” That is false, Ms. Simard insisted. “I am definitely upset.”

“To my friends, to my community, to my constituency, you know me – my Francophonie is dear to my heart. To my more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians and Franco-Ontarians, you may not know me but know that I'm with you. I was born, I grew up, and I still live in my francophone community of Prescott-Russell.”

“Now we have to assess where we are, and what we can and should do. I'm with you. I hope you will support me,” she concluded.